Category: Large Family 
Price Range: No data available
Precise steering, refined engines, quiet, well packaged.
Not the prettiest car, jury out on reliability.
Renault has built a solid, well-packaged car - but it just lacks that certain je ne sais quoi to be able to beat the Mondeo.
The old Laguna had a terrible reputation for quality, which, once it got a hold, proved hard to shift, even when Renault did work to rectify the situation.
As it was highlighted in Renault's Commitment 2009 plan, it had better get it right this time and there's evidence that it's not for the want of trying. For example, Renault's engineers built three prototype platforms to test just the electrics and electronics - the biggest source of problems in the previous Laguna - before the first full prototype of the car was built. All that testing should bear fruit when the car starts getting out into the real world of family motoring and, more importantly from a sales perspective, the world of fleet usage.
The cars we tested certainly showed no signs of electrical glitches, but that's only to be expected at this stage. The jury's still out on this one, but we'll keep you up to date on any progress.
Elsewhere, the car also showed signs of quality, from the consistent shutlines on the exterior to an interior that consisted of high-quality materials and switchgear, and well-finished surfaces.
